


November

by lemonsorbae



Series: Shoe Box Verse [12]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 23:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3267824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonsorbae/pseuds/lemonsorbae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my favorite chapter. Beta'd by <a href="http://www.literaryoblivion.tumblr.com">literaryoblivion</a>. Cross posted from <a href="http://herowords.tumblr.com/post/109741278651/november">tumblr</a>.</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my favorite chapter. Beta'd by [literaryoblivion](http://www.literaryoblivion.tumblr.com). Cross posted from [tumblr](http://herowords.tumblr.com/post/109741278651/november).

Castiel curls his fingers around his mug, warmth seeping beneath his skin as steam curls into the air. His belly is warm, nearing full, and he feels content as he watches Dean rake up the leaves in their backyard. A smile alights on his face over Dean's surprising knack for domesticity. When they'd first met, Dean had claimed to be about as domesticated as a sneaker; yet, here he was raking up leaves and downright gleeful about it, too.

Castiel shakes his head. Oh, how he loves him.

After a moment more, Castiel finishes his tea and steps out on the back porch. The back door closes behind him with a quiet snick, and he stands on the edge of the patio. It's cool out, a violent shiver running up his spine, but the sun is still shining brightly down on their little corner of the world, so it isn't too terrible.

"Hey, babe," Dean says. He's stripped down to just a t-shirt, and his face is flushed from working in the sun. He looks beautiful.

At Dean's feet, Vincent is pawing through the leaves, leaping on ones that flutter in the breeze, and launching himself into the neat pile Dean's just finished. Dean looks down and shakes his head.

"He looks to be having about as much fun as you are," Castiel points out, stepping off the porch and meandering towards Dean.

"He's making a mess," Dean grumbles. There's no malice behind the words, and Castiel smiles at Dean's poor attempt at irritation.

"What are you going to do with all the leaves?" Castiel wonders, looping his arms around Dean's neck and breathing in his earthy scent.

Dean shrugs, resting a hand on Cas' hip and leaning in for a brief kiss. "Toss 'em, I guess."

Castiel nods. For a moment there's nothing but silence, the two of them staring at one another, smiling for no reason at all, and then Castiel casts a glance over his shoulder. "We used to wrestle in them when I was younger," he says, memories of being pinned down by his older cousins and buried in leaves creeping into his brain.

Dean cocks an eyebrow, and Castiel nods. "Yes," he says, bending to pick up a handful. "We'd toss them at each other, and bury one another, and-" He snaps out a hand, grabbing at the neck of Dean's t-shirt, and shoving the leaves into the opening. "Shove them down each other's shirts," he finishes with a sly grin.

Dean stares down at the stretched out neck of his t-shirt and the clump of leaves stuck beneath the cotton. Castiel knows that scratchy feeling all too well and only barely holds in a laugh at Dean's expression.

"Did you just-" Dean bites out.

Castiel smirks. "Have fun with the rest of your leaves," he offers over his shoulder as he turns from Dean and steps back in the direction of the house.

He should have known better, he really should have, but it still comes as somewhat of a shock when he's tackled to the ground, and flipped on his back. "Oof," he breathes, because Dean is a heavy weight on top of him, his eyes glinting with revenge. "Dean!" he shouts just as Dean plunges a handful of leaves down the front of Castiel's shirt.

"I can't believe you actually thought I was gonna just let you walk away!" Dean says, his voice full of laughter. He smashes a handful of particularly crunchy leaves in his grasp and rubs them in Castiel's hair as he struggles to throw Dean off of him.

Castiel lets out a laugh. "I can't believe I did either," he admits. He goes still beneath Dean, giving the impression he's given up, but as soon as Dean lets some of his weight off of Castiel's hips, he shoves at Dean's shoulder, burying him in the leaves.

"You fucker." It's the only words Dean gets out before Castiel is piling everything Dean's raked up on top of him in hasty, messy movements.

Things escalate from there, leaves flying everywhere and both of them grunting and breathing hard. Castiel feels like a child again for those few brief moments.

When they've finally exerted all their energy, all of Dean's hard work has been undone and Castiel is lying on top of him, breathing heavy, and smiling broadly. "I win," he says, dipping to steal Dean's mouth in a kiss.

"You're a dirty cheater."

Castiel smiles, a reverence stealing over him as he observes Dean's face in the sunlight. It lands in warm beams across his eyelashes and the bridge of his nose, coloring him golden with flecks of brown dappled across his nose and cheeks. His eyes are like liquid peridot, wide and shining, and Castiel leans in to kiss him again.

Dean is easily the best thing that's ever happened to him, and there are definitely days when Castiel doesn't feel worthy of Dean's affections, but that never stops him from wanting Dean in every way possible, always.

"Let's get married today," Castiel breathes, the words ghosting past his lips. He holds his breath because seven months ago when he proposed, it had come off as impulsive and he doesn't want to make the same mistake twice.

Dean's hands still on Castiel's ribs where they've been brushing lightly, mindlessly, and he peers up at Castiel with questions in his eyes. "Like, elope?" he wonders.

Castiel smiles. "Yes, Dean, like elope." He readies himself for the reluctances Dean may have, _What about my parents, and Sam and Jess? I don't even have a tux. Isn't this kind of last minute? Just because it's legal in our state now does that really mean we have to jump at the opportunity?_  But, instead Dean nods, not even missing a beat.

"Yeah," he says, "let's do it. Let's elope."

"Are you sure?" Castiel questions, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't need a fancy ceremony to commit myself to you in the eyes of the state or whatever, Cas. I did that a long time ago."

Castiel suddenly feels jittery with nerves, excited and anxious all at once. They're getting married. "Okay," he says, smile wide, fingers trailing Dean's lips, committing to memory every last detail about this moment.

"Okay," Dean parrots.

 

They marry in front of a sprawling window on the top floor of the courthouse. It overlooks the city and lights up the room with the most beautiful natural light that casts a glowy essence over everything.

Dean looks nervous, all weak smile, and shifting feet, but the only comfort Castiel can offer him is to reach out and squeeze his hand as they stand across from each other because he's no better off.

The gentle timbre of Judge Joshua's voice as he officiates floats around in Castiel's head, his words barely registering through all the elation clouding his thoughts.

"If you'd like, you may now exchange vows," the judge says, and Castiel's heart plummets because they did not prepare for vows. He opens his mouth to say as much, but Dean squeezes his hands, his smile deepening until beautiful little crinkles form at the corners of his eyes.

"Can I go first?" he asks. Castiel bites at his bottom lip and nods. "I uh-" Dean shifts his weight for what seems like the millionth time and looks down at the floor. "I-"

Castiel steps closer, resting his hands on Dean's jaw and drawing his gaze upwards. "Dean, it's okay. We don't have to."

"No," Dean shakes his head. "I want to." Castiel nods, prepares to step back, but Dean's hand comes to rest over one of Castiel's own, and he rubs his thumb along Castiel's skin, leaving in its wake a soothing warmth. Dean clears his throat.

"Cas, before I met you, I thought I didn't deserve something like this. I thought-" He stops, breathes, "I thought I was going to be a sorry bachelor my whole life, burning through one-night-stands even after I was sporting orthopedics and dentures."

Castiel lets out a laugh and shakes his head.

Dean continues. "But then I met you and I-" A burning sensation clenches around Castiel's heart when he sees tears well up in Dean's eyes. Dean chews on his bottom lip for a moment then swipes his tongue out to soothe the sting and pushes on. "It's like I could breathe, for the first time in my life. It's like- it's like God sent me an angel."

"Dean," Castiel whispers. Tears of his own stinging his eyes.

"Cas, I know I'm not perfect, and I'm sure I'll keep pissing you off even when we're old and gray; I might not ever stop drinking milk straight from the jug, or singing too loud in the shower when you've been up all night painting, but I promise to do my best to take care of you. To be there for you whenever you need me, to always belong to you and only you. I promise to love you with every goddamn fiber of my being until the day we die, and even after that."

A tear tracks down Dean's cheek, sliding across freckles and disappearing over the crest of his upper lip. Castiel wants to reach out and brush it away, but he can't move, hardly feels like he can breathe. Dean's never been a man of many words when it comes to expressing how he feels, but everything Castiel has ever needed to hear is now out in the open, ingrained on his heart, forever echoing throughout his brain.

"Mr. Milton?" Judge Joshua prompts.

Castiel presses a soft kiss against Dean's lips and then slides his hands down Dean's chest, watching as Dean folds them in his own, and offers Castiel an encouraging smile.

Castiel can hear the beat of his own heart in his ears.

"Dean-" he grates out, feeling like he's about to burst open with so much love it's almost frightening. "I love you," he begins, pulling from a quote Zelda Fitzgerald penned to her beloved. "Even if there isn't any me, or any love, or even any life. I love you."

Dean nods, the corners of his mouth tugging up in a smile, and Castiel feels emboldened.

"I didn't feel capable of love before we met. It seemed too deep, too complex, too-" Castiel stops, furrows his brow. Before meeting Dean he had thought he was complete. A man who needed no one, someone who could go through life alone, but never feel lonely. But, then Dean had walked into his life and left footprints on Castiel's heart, a brand on his soul. He had filled this hole Castiel hadn't known he had until there were green eyes and easy smiles as a constant in his life. "You taught me how to love," he continues. "You showed me how simple it is, how beautifully easy it is to love you. And-" He takes a shuddering breath, "Even if there isn't any me, or any love, or even any life; I love you."

The judge hasn't declared them married, they haven't exchanged rings, or said I do, but Dean is reaching across the open space between them, and tugging Castiel in for a hard and frantic kiss anyway, his cheeks wet with tears, and a laugh falling from his lips as he kisses Castiel.

"You're everything," Castiel murmurs into Dean's mouth, "everything."

After a moment, Dean wipes at his eyes and glances at Joshua. "Sorry, your honor, I just can't keep my hands off of him."

Judge Joshua chuckles and shakes his head minutely. "Love is the most wonderful thing in the world," he explains. "Sometimes it takes much time to grow, but when it blooms, its beauty cannot be denied. I'm just glad you boys have cultivated something so prosperous."

As he finishes the ceremony, Castiel is unable to keep the grin from his face. He's standing across from the most important man to ever have stepped foot in his life, and in just minutes, they're going to be committed in every way possible.  

When the judge finally utters those words, "I now pronounce you..." Castiel almost feels like he's flying as they kiss for the first time as a married couple. It feels the same as it always has, yet vastly different in ways he can't even begin to understand.

"I love you," Dean murmurs, drawing Castiel in for a hug.

Castiel smiles. "I love you."


	2. Epilogue

Dean's tie is loosened before they even reach the Impala. He reaches out to open Castiel's door for him, but Cas stops him, crowds him up against the car and nuzzles at his temple. "We're married," Castiel croons.

Dean's arms wrap tightly around Castiel's waist, and Castiel feels the other man smile beneath his lips. "Hell yeah, we are."

"We should go home and have sex now."

"You gonna let me carry you across the threshold?" Dean asks, tipping his head to the side as Castiel's lips run over his jaw, and down his neck.

Castiel hums. "I was planning on carrying you."

"Too much pie does not a light Dean Winchester make," Dean intones. His hands rub along Castiel's back, slow and warm.

Castiel pulls away and smirks at Dean. "Are you calling my husband fat?" he asks.

Dean smiles at Castiel, lopsided and giddy. "Say it again," he requests quietly.

"What?"

"Husband. I wanna hear you say it again."

A happy curl of excitement is in Castiel's gut now, and he leans in close, his lips brushing feather light against Dean's ear. "If my husband gets me home in a timely fashion, he'll be receiving the best blow job of his married life."

Dean throws his head back and laughs, hands fitting to Castiel's sides. "Hot damn, my husband is one horny bastard."

 

On the way home they stop at a burger joint. As they order through the window, Castiel slides right up next to Dean, placing a hand on Dean's thigh, and resting a chin on his shoulder. "We were just married," he tells the teenager working the register. "My husband would so appreciate it if you could throw in a complementary fudge sundae in congratulations."

"You got a marriage certificate or something?" The kid asks, obviously bored and unamused by the overzealous newlyweds cuddling in his drive through window.

Castiel pulls their wedding license off the dash and waves it in the air as Dean gives the kid a wide grin and a sheepish spreading of his hands.

The teen shrugs. "Okay."

 

At home, Dean carries Castiel across the threshold, folding him over his shoulder and staggering into their home. Castiel protests the whole way.

After their first meal together as a married couple, they exchange ice cream kisses, and hot fudge smiles. The warm heat of Dean's mouth in conjunction to the cold sensation of the ice cream sends a shiver of pleasure down Castiel's spine. When the sundae is gone, and there's nothing left to do, Castiel drags Dean upstairs and makes good on his word.

 

As they climb into bed that night, Dean snuggles up to Castiel, eyes droopy, and body warm. He nuzzles his nose into Castiel's throat and tosses an arm over Castiel's chest, pressing a kiss to Castiel's skin.

"Good night, husband," Castiel murmurs into Dean's hair, combing his fingers through the strands.

Dean snuffles. "Love you, baby."

Castiel smiles, still chasing the floaty, happy feeling he's had since their nuptials this afternoon. "I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> *The Zelda Fitzgerald quote Castiel used can be found in the book Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Fitzgerald.


End file.
